[MGSA-L] Summary of responses against a new list

[Roland Moore]

With the senders's names removed, here are the
responses I have received to date to the question
about forming a separate list on Cyprus issues, where
the answer is a resounding no.  Each number represents
a different sender.  The yes responses are in the
following email.


1. I am vehemently opposed to such an arrogant  and
cavalier suggestion *on principle*!  Most notably, I
am appalled by the preposterous inference that Cyprus
should be treated as a separate (ethnocultural) domain
from the so-called "mainland" or "Helladic" Greece! 


2. My answer is NO! That the Cyprus issue seems at
times to dominate the list is obvious, but,
nonetheless, it IS a Greek issue as well.


3. I do not agree with this suggestion unless Modern
Greek studies do 
limit
themselves to the geographical boundaries of present
day Greece. As 
they are
strongly connected with the history and culture of the
region I believe 
MGS
cannot be fruitfully studied by leaving out elements
of
Turkish/Ottoman/Balkan & Cypriot history and culture.
Particularly 
Cyprus,
with its large majority of Greek speaking people is of
great importance 
in
the field of MGS. What I do strongly object to and
what I would like to 
see
something being done about, is the unacademic, rude
and disrespectful 
way in
which some people on the list behave in the
discussion, for example 
people
like Mr.' Lyngos'.


4. May I suggest that you make public the name of the
person who made this unbelievable statement. In
addition to the fact that as I already wrote I do
consider this statement as fascist and racist, I
challenge his credentials to participate in this
forum. His “declaration” that “are really dominating
the list and taking time and space away from issues
more directly related to Greece" reveals ignorance and
arrogance irrelevant to a forum designed to debate
substantial issues. This is a straightforward attempt
to impose a censorship regarding one of the most
serious foreign policy questions of Greece, Turkey and
by and large Europe.

I think it is an open demand to throw Kypros out of
Hellenism. 
This demand is disguised as a complaint about the
quality and the 
relevance of the discussion.

Who can be the person who feels so comfortable to
demand such 
things, even by disguising them as remarks about the
discusion? 
I think the conclusion is inevitable: only an Athenian
Greek will 
have felt so comfortable to show such arrogance, open 
aggresiveness and open racism towards the Cypriots.

People expressing even the most wild opinions can
always defend 
themselves behind the infallible argument "This is my
opinion". 
But there are occasions when the underlying motives of
the 
Athenian intelectualls towards Cyprus and the Cypriots
can be 
seen in their true nature.  These, for example, are
cases when 
their analysis is simply at odds with natural reality.

For example, one of the reasons presented in the
1980's against 
the presence in Greece of American nuclear weapons was
that they 
constitute a threat for neighbouring peoples.  Then a
list of 
these neighbouring threatened peoples followed, such
as the 
Turkish people and the Arabic countries, ...in which
Cyprus was 
defeaningly absent...!!  How can a nuclear weapon in
Greece 
thought to be able to hit an Arabic country, while at
the same 
time never thought as equally able to hit Cyprus?  I
claim this 
was the result of a certain subconcious stance of the
Athenian 
Greeks.

The years passed, and today this subconcious willfull
blindness 
for Cyprus became an agressiveness and a racism
towards Cyprus. 
Although being such, it even dares to come and speak
to the open. 
  I will post to the list a collection of such
bibliography, 
where Cyprus is completely ignored.


-- You are propably aware of the new game that in
these last 
years the Greeks love to play around the end of
October every 
year.  Namely, the one about children of immigrant
parents who 
come to be selected by their schools to carry the flag
during the 
celebrations for the 28th of October.  Surely, says
the Athenian 
society in general, there shouldn't be any negative
distiction on 
that, regardless whether a student is ethnically Greek
or not. 
Very well, but then..., what is the responce of these
same people 
when faced with Cypriots raising our national flag? 
What is 
their responce about the relation of Cypriots with
Hellenism? 
How can everyone has the right to carry the Greek
flag, but when 
Cypriots ask or do the same this is thought to be
...nationalism, 
chauvinism and racism?

The biggest problem for Modern Greek Studies: the
adventures of 
the national conciousnes of the Greeks, especially
about 
themselves.  In this regard, nothing can be more
relevant that 
Cyprus.


-- If my poor English help, this 'nitpicking' appears
to be a 
rather negative characteristic of the discussion,
according to 
this member's claim.  Well then, why didn't he, or
she, responded 
on the specific messages he thought were such?


-- As this is a moderated, academic environment, the
duty to 
prove any claim, for example a negative character of
the 
discussion, belongs to the one making the claim.  No
one else is 
obliged to prove that he is not an elephant.


-- So, in a Modern Greek Studies List a claim can be
raised that 
Cyprus is not very relevant to Greece?  In a list
intended to be 
scholarly and moderated a claim can be made on the
relevance of 
Cyprus to Greece?  And the person making the claim is
seriously 
expecting to receive any answer?  And the moderator of
the list 
is forwarding this claim for members to consider?

Although this person had just made such an absurb
claim, he or 
she nevertheless feels comfortable to throw in a
general, 
unspecific claim about the quality of the discussion. 
I return 
the characterization for a bad behaviour in the
discussion to 
him, or her.  Please forward this to him, or her.


-- And then, well, how is it that the moderator of the
list 
forwards a message which characterizes the discussion
as 
'nitpicking' and questions its relevance with Greece? 
Wasn't the 
moderator the one who considered all messages as
appropriate? 
Then, why isn't the moderator answer to this member
himself?


-- Why are you asking for off-list responces?  May I
guess that 
this is because you expected to raise a flood of
heated 
reactions?  But then, isn't this a proof of the
relevance of 
Cyprus in Modern Greek Studies?  How can a question
raised about 
the interest for a separate list, when the interest in
this list 
is already so high?


So, specifically, no, I'm not interested and I am not
thinking as 
appropriate any separate list for Cyprus.



5. Absolutely Not, on grounds of principle. I did not
see any provisions 
in the
list's regulations that issues with special interest
should be spinned 
off
as separate email lists. Except if the person who
suggested the new 
list,
has issues with the Cypriots, and in his/her message,
the term 
"specialists"
was used to cover exactly his/her problem with
Cypriots period. I would
highly recommend that the person discovers the
"delete" button on their
keyboard and use it so that their eyes are not
"glazed". This is such a
ridiculous grounds to base such a suggestion. The
"more important 
issues
related to Greece" can freely appear whenever they
choose to on the 
email
list, and I don't think there is a quota that leads to
the domination 
of the
messages about Cyprus. Lastly, my suggestion would be
that instead of
changing the list, to change its members, if the
person does not wish 
to
follow the issues of the list then it has no place
being in the email 
list.


6. The list should be for Hellenes from all over the
world.
 
We should not  divided into Cypriot Hellenes, Cretan
Hellenes etc
 
After all we all have one Nationality
 
But different Citizenship
 
Just because Cypriot Hellenes are vocal does not mean
we should be pushed aside.


7. I don't think a new list is necessary.  On any
list, attempts 
to
restrict expression create mistrust and bad feelings
no matter how well
phrased.  I'm content to delete messages that I feel
are not worth my 
time.
It also makes the worthwhile messages all the more
satisfying to read.


8. I think someone ought to point out to the whinger
who prompted your 
message that Cyprus is as much a part of the Greek
world as Athens.

I am shocked that you have deemed it appropriate to
give this divisive 
suggestion any serious consideration.